Various high bandwidth networks are utilized to transform military services into a strategically responsive force dominant in all types of military operations. Network centric operations may decrease the need to move as many people to the field, with more operations carried out remotely. Many wireless data networks are designed to provide airborne units (pilots) more crucial awareness of their targets and hostile surroundings.
However, a ground based wireless network structure has bandwidth and connectivity problems. For example, a communication bottleneck is present when a user in a ground wireless network desires to connect the secured communication network with high bandwidth global network such as the Global Information Grid (GIG). This communication bottleneck cannot be prevented by increasing data bandwidth in conventional ground wireless networks alone. Current data link options providing connectivity between ground wireless networks and the GIG have limitations in information rate and latency.
Prior art currently associates The Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) with airborne tactical networks which require time critical cooperative engagements and information fusion applications. Thus, the TTNT is designed to provide a low latency, Anti-Jam (AJ) tactical networked waveform, with a wideband, software re-configurable radio architecture. A ground user may desire to utilize various functionalities of TTNT airborne networks to overcome prior art bandwidth and connectivity problems of the ground wireless networks with the TTNT and GIG. However, in many cases, special routing platforms are necessary to translate data from ground to airborne networks. For example, the translation from Enhanced Position Locating Reporting System (EPLRS) to tactical data links such as Link-16 requires a prior art routing platform which maintains a bottleneck effect slowing message transmission and lessening the tactical value. Moreover, most ground user devices and applications may be frequently mounted, dismounted, or moved. Consequently, most ground user devices and applications have restrictions in terms of size, weight and power consumption. Thus, a typical full size TTNT terminal may not be practical for ground users since it will make ground user devices too heavy and bulky when it is so equipped. Moreover, a typical full size TTNT terminal may consume a considerable amount of power, resulting in the increased complexity in hardware.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a small form factor user system which can avoid the communication bottleneck problems and achieve full global information grid (GIG) connectivity. It would be also desirable to provide a small form factor user system which is compact in size, light weight and operates with minimum power consumption. A small form factor user system has applications beyond ground based networks. These applications include extending connectivity to smart bombs, missiles, small unmanned aerial vehicles, and other users particularly concerned with size, weight, and power.